| Team information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Colours | Blue Yellow | ||
| Founded | 2003; 22 years ago (2003) | ||
| Home ground | Mangaung Oval | ||
| Capacity | 20,000 | ||
| |||
TheKnights cricket team is the name used byFree State Cricket Union to brand its top-level teams in South African cricket. Between the 2003–04 and 2009–10 seasons they operated as theEagles cricket team.
The brand was established in 2004 as a men's franchise operated initially by Free State before being joined byGriqualand West after the end of the 2004–05 season, During the period of franchise cricket, which lasted until the end of the 2020–21 season, the Knights franchise competed in theCSA 4-Day Domestic Series,CSA One-Day Cup, andCSA T20 Challenge competitions.[1][2][3]
Following the end of the franchise period, top-level competition in South Africa reverted to competitions involving provincial teams.[4][5] Many of the senior provincial unions which had been involved in franchise competitions retained the names of their franchises as marketing tools. Free State, the senior team in the Knights franchise, chose to do so and compete using the name Titans.[1]
As of July 2025[update] the team competes in Division 2 of the South African provincial structure.[6] Their main home venue is theMangaung Oval inBloemfontein.
Orange Free State, as the province was then called, competed in the Currie Cup from 1897–98. They won their first title in 1992–93, repeating the success the following season. in 1995 the team was renamed Free State, reflecting the political changes that took place in South Africa and the renaming ofOrange Free State province asFree State. The team won the Currie Cup again in 1997-98.
During 2003,Cricket South Africa changed the way in which top-class domestic cricket in the country was organised. This created six franchise teams at the top level of domestic competition, combining the existing provincial sides to create an elite competition. During negotiations, five of the six franchises were created without significant problems,[a] leaving two Cricket Unions,Free State andGriqualand West.[b] The two were unable to agree on terms, and Cricket South Africa awarded the franchise to Free State, with the suggestion that Griqualand West take up a 45% share. Griqualand West refused initially to join the franchise, leaving Free State as the sole provincial union for the first full season of franchise cricket in 2004–05. The team joined the franchise during the 2005 winter.[7][2]
The franchise, known initially as Eagles, competed in the 2003–04CSA T20 Challenge, before theCSA 4-Day Domestic Series andCSA One-Day Cup also became franchise-only competitions the following season.[7][2][1] The side shared the Currie Cup in 2004–05 withDolphins before winning the competition outright in 2007-08. The franchise also won the One-Day Cup in 2004-05, 2005-06, and 2010-11 and theCSA T20 Challenge in 2003-04 and 2005-06.
The franchise name was changed for the 2010-11 season across all three formats, with the Eagles becoming the Knights.
During the period of franchise competitions, Free State and Griqualand West continued to compete as separate cricket unions in theCSA 3-Day and One-Day Cups and CSA T20 competitions. The period of franchise competition lasted until the end of the 2020–21 season when Cricket South Africa reverted to a division based provincial competition, with both teams competing separately from the start of the 2021–22 season.[8][9] Many of the senior provincial unions which had been involved in franchise competitions retained the names of their franchises as marketing tools. Free State, the senior team in the Knights franchise, chose to do so and compete using the name Knights.[1]
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